new to this would appreiate useful comments on my ideas plz

**podcake** · 07-12-2004, 06:42 PM

ok so here goes, i have been thinking about building a car mp3 player for a good number of years now ( on the cheap - as i am a student) untill recently i have not had hardware of a suitable standard to complete the job. people were giving me 386 and 486 computers and there were just not really upto the job.
since i went to university i found that people had far better computers they wanted to get rid of for a 'reasonable' price so now i have a better system
here are my ideas so far:

-i have a motherboard that has on board sound, video, parallel, and all the usual stuff ( apart from an RJ45 network connector) with ram in it
- an amd k6-2 cpu
-i have a 5 gig fugitsu hdd ( standard not laptop)
-a homebrew case made from stuff found around the garage
-a basic computer psu ( that i got off ebay for £2, the guy thought it was dead)
-and i have plans on an inverter ( i have a cheap source for them)

ok, so having read lots of stuff on here i found that u guys dont favour my powersupply system and hdd choice. but if u have the time to give me any helpful criticism and or suggestions on how to mount stuff ( particually hdds) it would be most appreciated and also if there is anything that you think i may be able to help with dont hesitate to ask ( i am doing a degree in electronic engineering)
plus how much have you guys spent on your mp3 playes ( i am talking REALLY basic here) cos mine comes in at just under £20 (about 35 us dollars i think)

cheers ppl

CHRIS

**god_of_cpu** · 07-12-2004, 06:48 PM

I spent $15 on my first mp3player. It only lasted a week though cause I got so frustrated with it I had no other recourse, but to throw it at a wall then continuosuly jump on it until I was satisfied it would never try to look like it could work again.

I spent $100 on a creative MuVo after that and it does everything I need it for when I go running which is all I use an mp3player for. I definitly couldn't go back to using just an mp3player in my car.

**EBFoxbat** · 07-12-2004, 06:52 PM

mount the HDD so that the platters are perpendicular to the road. That's pretty common as it prevents the heads from damaging the platter during a bump.

**podcake** · 07-12-2004, 07:08 PM

must say i didnt expect a response this quickly!!

i was going to mount hdd perpandicular to road ( but that just caused space problems)
i am currently working on the next case design ( while finishing this one)that will be the 'upgrade' which is gonna have the hdd mounted as u suggest

this time i have gone with simply rubber washers to try and dampen it ( not that i hold out much hope for it in my car - i drive an austin mini lol- but in my parents cars it would be fine i think)
if u get a bump while it is reading does it actually total the hdd? or will it still work??

and economy is the thing that i am looing at ( my car likes to eat money lol)

**proTONEd** · 07-12-2004, 07:38 PM

Electronic engineering you say eh? Guess that inverter shouldn't be a problem for you. Nor would be putting in the wiring into your car.

For that HD, most people here recommend that you install it vertically.
Shocks could seriously damage the surface of the disc. the spot where the head hits the surface will be damaged, and sometimes this could result in a busted drive.

**EBFoxbat** · 07-13-2004, 07:08 AM

Originally Posted by podcake

if u get a bump while it is reading does it actually total the hdd? or will it still work??

It will 99% of the time ruin what ever data was on the platter where it hit. I'd guess about 25% of the time it will render the drive useless. But it depends on how fast its spinning (thus how long on the surface the impact mark is) and heat, and how big the bump is, how long the bump takes, etc.